Hi Everyone, please make this aged senior welcome as I try to find as much as I can about my late uncle who was 'accidentally' dead in Algeria, just months after I was born in 1944. Not much is known as the DoD in Aus [as far as I known] didn't pass on a lot on the death. Nothing is known about the above 'unit'. I presume that it was a RAF advanced unit of 3 Sqd. Other than that, as Sgt Schultz would say ... I know nothing! Can anyone help? cheers
welcome to the forum John. First things first the old chestnut: do you have a copy of his service records? i am aware the RAF had a good presence in North Africa and also in the Middle East. As an Advanced unit he was probably out front creating new airstrips as the lines moved forwards. What we really need is his service records to begin with as they will tell you precisly which squadron he was associated to. Also as Middle East command, he may have been caught out alone by the locals; they were'nt precisely friendly, hence the secrecy.
Welcome to the site. Is it possible you mean 3 Squadron RAAF as that Sqdn was in middle east/Italy for most of war. 3 Squadron RAF was based in GB and France during war. 3 RAAF Sqdn started as a Army cooperation Sqdn in 1940 then changed to a fighter Sqdn Try http://www.3squadron.org.au/subpages/roll.htm This is a list of all 3 RAAF Sqdns Deaths during WW2 in a chronological order. if this link does not help then try Google search, type in 3 Sqdn RAAF you will find many internet sites dealing with this Sqdn. Also try typing in his name and see where it leads you, or try the Australian war memorial web site, www.awm.gov.au/ and as Kitty has said, get a set of his military records. The AWM site will give you the details for getting his military files.
hi kitty, my uncle was a pilot [flying officer] tag no 401558, service record? not been able to get that info - could you point me in the right direction, perhaps?
Is this your uncle? I got this from http://www.ww2roll.gov.au You can print out a copy the information below as well as a certificate of WW2 service and on this site you can follow link for application for his full military records from, Australia National Archives Service Record Name WHITE, WESLEY JOHN Service Royal Australian Air Force Service Number 401558 Date of Birth 3 Jan 1916 Place of Birth KEW, VIC Date of Enlistment 28 Feb 1941 Locality on Enlistment Unknown Place of Enlistment MELBOURNE, VIC Next of Kin WHITE, M Date of Death 3 Jun 1944 Rank Flying Officer Posting on Death 3 ADU WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display Prisoner of War No Roll of Honour Unknown Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2002.
Hi John, The link below also has the information that Wesley was a Book Keeper and the family home was at 15 Edgevale Road Kew. (Know the street well as I grew up in Ivanhoe and worked in Kew.) http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM108/022/022617.pdf I have his unit as 3 ADU and that he was killed in North West Algeria. Hopefully our RAAF member may be able to shed some further light on his accident. Sadly I do not have a photo of his headstone as yet but hopefully will have it in the near future. Cheers Geoff
Hi Geoff, yes, have been to all the sites that you, cobber and others have directed me to and got most of the info needed. lived in kew myself in mortimer st off davis st about 2 miles from where my uncle lived. Cheers John
I have been intrigued by the ADU, does anyone know what ADU actually means? I have searched and searched to no avail. Air Dispatch Unit???
With respect to Le Petit Lac Cemetery, I had a look through the cemetery deaths for that day and came up with all these lads from 216sq who were killed on the same day, British, South African, Au8stralian and Canadian. A transport may have crashed or two planes collided. In Memory of Lieutenant DENIS OSWALD BILSE 328283V, 216 (R.A.F.) Sqdn., South African Air Force who died age 21 on 03 June 1944 Son of Oswald R. and Alice M. Bilse, of Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Corporal JOHN BRAYAM BONE 932754, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died age 23 on 03 June 1944 Son of John and Violet Bone, of Folkestone. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Captain PHILIP COHEN 311995V, South African Medical Corps who died age 30 on 03 June 1944 Son of Harris and Sarah R. Cohen, of Cape Town, South Africa. M.B., Ch. B. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Corporal JOHN ARTHUR FORKNALL 641245, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force who died age 23 on 03 June 1944 Son of John Richard and Margaret Forknall, of Bolsover, Derbyshire; husband of Doris Forknall, of Bolsover. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Lieutenant Colonel CULLIS WILLIAM GAU 120467, Royal Engineers who died age 21 on 03 June 1944 Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Pilot Officer CLIFFORD JAMES HIGGINS 176098, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died age 27 on 03 June 1944 Son of Alfred James Higgins and Ada Squire Higgins; husband of Alice Beatrice Violet Higgins, of Harrowbarrow, Cornwall. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Warrant Officer THOMAS ATHERTON HINDMARCH 1207526, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died age 33 on 03 June 1944 Son of George I. and Alice M. Hindmarch, of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Yorkshire. B.A. Hons. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Flight Sergeant RALPH JOHN HODGSON 1322082, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died age 22 on 03 June 1944 Son of Ralph and Elizabeth Hodgson, of Thornton Heath, Surrey. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Flight Sergeant FRANCIS VINCENT McFARLANE 1131689, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died age 21 on 03 June 1944 Son of Edward and Henrietta McFarlane, of Anfield, Liverpool. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Flight Sergeant THOMAS WILLIAM SPARK 1319803, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died age 31 on 03 June 1944 Son of Mathew William and Ellen Spark, of Carlisle; husband of Doris Esme Spark, of Carlisle. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Flying Officer HAROLD KENT THOMPSON 157316, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died on 03 June 1944 Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Flying Officer WESLEY JOHN WHITE 401558, Royal Australian Air Force who died age 28 on 03 June 1944 Son of Francis John and Fanny Louisa White, of Kew, Victoria, Australia. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Warrant Officer Class I FREDERICK HENRY THEODORE WHITTARD R/82421, 216 (R.A.F.) Sqdn, Royal Canadian Air Force who died age 21 on 03 June 1944 Son of Charles Henry and May Eveline Whittard, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY In Memory of Flying Officer JOHN ST CLAIR WOOTTON J/22148, Royal Canadian Air Force who died on 03 June 1944 Remembered with honour LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY
Hi again N John with the information that the DOD have and also with military records, you will find that it all comes down to the persons writing the reports of death and filling in the file records and how much info they had or felt was needed to be recorded. Some will have (fill in) quite detailed items while others will just have a very small entries. It can be quite frustrating at times reading military writing.
Geoff, you are correct in the assumption that it was a transport crash, apparently into a solid cloud whilst off course heading for the airfield at . PIC deemed to be negligent plus the navigator as well. Pilot I understand to be Thompson but nothing I've seen indicates who was the Navigator. Thanks for all your hard work. Cheers
Hi Cobber, Yes, I've gone through the 'crash investigation' file and while there is some information, it is scratchy in parts and more detailed in others. Just like my time in the military! cheers
Not a lot to add - the crash report on folio 30 of the casualty file is pretty descriptive concerning the causes of the accident. Random hits from Google below - ADU was an Aircraft Delivery Unit which is a RAF unit (the casualty file identifies FLGOFF White as RAAF attached to RAF). Where did the term "Unit: 3 Advanced (M East) RAF" come from?? I doubt that the FLGOFF was part of 3SQN. ************************************************************ T1: blida1ATntlworld.com Date: 01 Feb 2004 Time: 11:17:22 Congratulations on this splendid web sote. I have an interest in anyone who served with 3ADU/Ferry Unit in N.Africa 1943/1945. The stations where at Blida, Algeria and Oujda/Morocco. I was an NCO Pilot on this unit up to November 1945 Charles Matthews ************************************************************ http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/units.htm Spitfire Units Units referred to in the production list: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AAEE Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment AAS Air Armament School ACSEA Air Command SE Asia ADF Aircraft Delivery Flight ADFU Air Defence Flight Unit ADU Aircraft Delivery Unit AEAF Allied Expeditionary AF AFDU Air Fighting Development Unit
